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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. face — to point toward
  5. branch — a division
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stock — shares
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. face — to confront
  17. stock — goods
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com